We're in the silly season of a presidential campaign, a time when campaign managers speak mistruths, half-truths, and anti-truths in order to make their candidates look good. You've seen their media interviews, right? After a debate or newsworthy event, the so-called "spin doctors" will trot out non-denial denials, non-apology apologies, and admissions of mistakes being made (but never assigning blame to real people).

If you spend time on the Internet, you know how dangerous a place it can be. But a report from Norton, the large Internet security firm, suggests exactly how dangerous. According to the company’s Cybercrime Report: The Human Impact, almost three-quarters (73 percent) of U.S. users have fallen victim to cybercrime. It found that nearly two-thirds (58 percent) of people who’ve been victimized say they felt angry, 51 percent annoyed, and 40 percent cheated.

Is the Internet killing your reputation? Stop worrying and do something about it! Creating positive, neutral content about your business— or about you as an individual—can help to push down negative or false information in search engine results pages. Here are some helpful techniques to get you started.

If you own a small business, you know how important online reviews are. They can attract new customers, increase revenue, and enhance your visibility in search-engine results. On the other hand, negative reviews can repel new customers and destroy your online reputation.

One of the measures of a celebrity’s reputation is what others say after the person dies. If the buzz on the Internet from critics and the public is positive, then it’s safe to conclude the celebrity had a strong reputation. If it’s negative, then his or her reputation was flawed. In reading the media commentary after Phyllis Diller’s death, one sensed that people sincerely loved and admired her. The trailblazing comic with the wild hair, frumpy dresses, and cackling laugh not only sustained a 60-year career in show business, she also created and preserved a sterling reputation despite (or perhaps because of) her quirky persona.

Poor Maxwell Smart, the bumbling secret agent of the 1960s TV show, “Get Smart.” He was so clumsy, naive, and foolish that he screwed up constantly. Still, he was resourceful enough to always defeat the evil spies from KAOS.

What a journey it’s been! Over the last six months, we’ve discussed how advisors kill their reputations. They become Sales Narcissists or Black Hat Tricksters or succumb to greed, disorganization, or technophobia. In this last column of the “Reputation Death” series, I’d like to talk about the most serious reputation risk of all—being a King (or Queen) of Pain.

When early humans discovered fire, some may have reacted with horror. Why did it produce such tear-inducing smoke? Why did it hurt to touch it? And why were its shadows so scary? But even our most change-resistant ancestors eventually accepted the benefits of having heat, light, and warm food.

Have you ever hired someone to provide a service, only to discover he or she “played” you with lies or distortions? If so, you fell victim to a “black-hat trickster.” This happens to millions of consumers each year. When they find out they’ve been tricked, they post Facebook rants or complain on Internet sites such as RipoffReport.com. Result: “tricky” advisors can see their reputations vanish as quickly as magician David Copperfield dispatched the Statue of Liberty: poof!

A quick way to kill your reputation is to be a shameless narcissist. No, I’m not talking about the kind of person psychiatrists study, but rather someone who’s a bit too self-absorbed for his—and the client’s—own good.